Pirates and Thieves

Have you ever had a horse in training, and felt completely out of control of the process?  Bombarded by extra fees on your bill that you didn’t authorize?  Vet costs that you didn’t know about, didn’t authorize and are confusing as to their purpose?  Worried that your horse is being mistreated and feel powerless to protect them?   Have you ever felt annoyed or angry because a horse trainer expected you to show up at the barn with an open check book and a closed mouth?   Have you ever had a horse that you delivered to the trainer sound, healthy, and happy, only to have it given back to you a sick, quivering, lame, and terrified mess, and were then told, “These things happen?”  Then you, my friend, may be one of many interested in taking back control of the horse industry from those that would like to hold us, the owners and breeders, over a barrel – the trainers.

A friend of mine in the reining business characterizes big name horse trainers as ‘pirates.’  They sniff out wealth among owners and good horses among breeders, charge exorbitant fees in exchange for taking over your assets – your well-bred, well-loved animals, expect to rule their barn with absolute authority,  demand loyalty while they are free to behave like divas, gain fame and fortune to the outside world while treating the horse as a disposable commodity, and in many cases, doing unconscionable things to the animals in their care, even as they are climbing the ladder of success toward that enviable ‘million dollar’ status.   As owners, breeders, and amateur riders, we are at their mercy if we choose to put our horses in training.

In a perfect world, we would be working our own horses, and forming partnerships with them that would carry us to the winner’s circle.  But this is unrealistic for many people.  Some have careers that take up too much time, or have family obligations that are of a higher priority than spending the necessary hours working their horses.  Many people recognize that they aren’t physically capable, and yet want to be involved in the horse world, even if it is as an active observer and enthusiast.  Some people see their limits, and want horsemen with more talent than they themselves possess to take their horses as far as they can go in the competitive arena.  As a horse trainer and riding instructor, I encourage people to be as active in their horses’ lives as they able to be, but also see nothing wrong in placing a horse with a trusted trainer whose philosophies match that of the owner.  I myself have had many horses with trainers; some I admired a great deal and came away satisfied and inspired.  Others were a nightmare, and made me understand all of the things I DON’T want in a horse trainer, no matter how “big” their name is.

When a trainer takes your horse and mistreats it, causing it physical or mental harm, they are stealing from you.  If the horse experiences harsh training techniques that cause the horse to become afraid, sour, dull or dangerous, that horse’s worth is seriously impacted.  If the horse is physically injured due to rough care or negligence, not only does it diminish the horse’s worth, it may render it useless.  When a trainer authorizes a vet to use drugs to mask or change a horse’s disposition, way of going, or physical appearance, they are imposing serious risks to the horse’s immediate and long-term health, and are also risking the sullying of your good name, should it be discovered that your horse underwent this treatment in order to win.   For those of us that put in countless hours of handling, care and planning, plus thousands and thousands of dollars worth of breeding fees, purchase costs, vet care, feed, shoeing and land management costs, to have a horse ruined and wasted by an unscrupulous trainer is devastating.  Yet many are afraid to speak up, or have signed away our rights by agreeing to sign the pirate’s best weapon – a training agreement that includes a non-disclosure clause.   I think that the inability to speak up and advocate on behalf of your horse that has been maimed, crippled, or killed by a trainer so that they may retain some kind of ‘good reputation’ is the very definition of adding insult to injury.

We can, however, take back our power.  The trainer works for us, right?  So why not have our own contract that clearly sets limits on what the trainer is allowed to do to our asset, the horse?  I think this is a brilliant way to do battle with the pirates!  A friend of mine has put together an excellent contract that does just that – defines what exactly the owner expects and allows to be done to their horse while in the care of the trainer.  It can’t control everything – plain old bad training, for example – but it does protect the owner from deliberate diminishment of the value of their horse, and gives them legal ground to stand on if the trainer chooses to go against the owner’s wishes.  You can access this contract here.  I encourage you to use it within your owner/ trainer relationships, and spread the word to your friends who may be thinking of putting a horse in training.  There are plenty of ways to personalize this contract, so don’t feel as if this is a one-size-fits-all deal.  You may strike sections if they don’t apply or add caveats to them, or add your own conditions at the bottom.  I feel this is a good place to start in remaining in control of your horse, and, since even the most hands-on owner can’t be at the trainer’s all the time, is a little insurance policy against things happening behind your back.

Some pirates will certainly be offended that you dared challenged their judgment in being the captain of their ship!  And may even ask you to walk the plank and take your horse with you!  But the contract contains nothing that is unreasonable, and I would be seriously wary of someone who wouldn’t agree to the simple requests stated therein.  They are probably doing you a favor by letting you know up front that they intend to mistreat your horse, so leave them to their own devices and seek out someone who is appreciative of you, your horse and your money, and will therefore treat all of those things with respect.

The Wrong Way to 'Get Loose'

For the past several months, I have been using the services of an equine massage therapist for one of my training horses.  This mare is doing very well, and her physical issues are very subtle, but the owner and I agree that in order to get the best possible performance out of her, and to preserve her soundness, massage therapy is a fantastic tool.  Basically, the mare is slightly crooked, and while I have done lots of stretching and bending, the crookedness persists, so we decided to call in a professional.  Massage therapy of this type is more than just rubbing the muscles; it is a form of physical therapy in which the muscles, tendons and ligaments are re-trained into a new frame, taught to lengthen and body symmetry is encouraged.  It has made a huge difference for this mare!  She is now taking both leads with more ease, is able to lengthen her neck and round her back, and moves in a much more soft and even manner.  The owner is thrilled with the process.

The massage sessions generally take an hour and a half to complete, and were scheduled every 2 weeks at first, and are now monthly.  While the therapist is doing her work, I am there to hold and assist, as well as observe, and of course, as anyone would when they meet a fellow horse person with whom they have a lot in common, we share stories and observations about the horse industry.  This person has worked in the reining world for many years, and knows many of the same people that I know.  We recently had a discussion that brought to light that we also share a pet peeve: the widespread and inappropriate use of 'tying around.'    Tying around is when a rider will tie a horse's head to either its saddle or its tail with a short rein in order to force the horse to bend in a small circle.  Perhaps the horse is resistant on one side or the other, or perhaps the horse is giving attitude; they believe that tying around will solve that problem by giving the horse no choice but to conform.  They mistakenly believe that the horse will 'learn' to give because the only way they can get relief on their mouths is to give to the pressure. 

The problem with this is that there is no release.  Even if the horse gives, they are not able to straighten their body, their neck must stay bent, and eventually the muscles get tired and they are forced to lean on the rein, causing pain in their mouths (and everywhere else).  It is commonplace in the performance horse industry for horses to be left in this position FOR HOURS.  Can you imagine the pain and the anxiety of a horse being trapped in this position while the rider leaves the premises to go have lunch?  And if the reason for the horse's initial resistance in bending was pain in their neck, poll, or shoulders, can you imagine how this would cause unbearable agony for an animal unable to free itself?

My first exposure to this practice was in the Arabian industry when I was a young teenager, when my family began using a 'big name' trainer who used this method to get more flexibility in our horses.  This trainer was very judicious with the practice though; we never used a rein to tie around, instead, we made a rubber 'bending rein' out of surgical tubing that had snaps on either end to go from the saddle to the bit.  Surgical tubing is not very strong, and the idea was that it would break if too much pressure was put on it.  This trainer was also adamant that we time the horses as they were bending, only doing it 10 or 15 minutes on each side.  And we were not allowed to leave the area; it was important to be nearby in case the horse got in trouble.  As I grew up (and we changed trainers), I realized that while this method was indeed safer than what many put their horses through, it was still intrinsically a shortcut.  And most real horsemen know - in good horse training, there are no shortcuts.

It wasn't until I started riding Quarter Horses at a reining barn in Arizona that I observed someone tying around with a leather rein to the horse's tail, and walking away to leave the horse for long stretches of time.  I saw the agony in the horse's eyes, and eventually, the defeat in its demeanor, and I knew that I would never allow that trainer to put my horses through that.  Amazingly, that reining trainer is still there, working for a big, fancy barn in Scottsdale, and over and over, throughout my years in the reining world, I have seen this same 'method' employed by many well-known reining trainers. It is accepted, by many, as part of training a reiner, despite the fact that, in the best case scenario, they are making their animals more sore and resistant than before they were tied around and in the worst case scenario, are risking their horses lives, as so many animals will just snap when put in this position, resulting in them falling down or flipping over, breaking their necks in the process.  Many good horses have been ruined or killed in this manner - though you aren't going to see it written about in a major industry publication.  That would just be attracting unwanted attention to a dirty little secret, wouldn't it?

What is especially sad is that it is not at all necessary to tie horses around.  If the trainer is doing their job correctly, they would be bending the horse from the saddle, where it is possible to FEEL the horse's mouth and body orientation, and respond with counter pressure, applying release when the horse responds correctly.  If the trainer is doing their job, then they would respond to resistance as an opportunity to discover that animal's areas of pain, from injury or abnormal physiology, and would then have that horse seen by a vet or massage therapist.  If the trainer is doing their job, they would understand that force will never beget a willing partner, and that shortcuts create more problems than taking the long (and correct) route to partnership.  If the trainer is doing their job, they would be safeguarding the horse's well-being and sanity over their own inconvenience.

The massage therapist that has now become my friend shared with me the story of her gelding, who is out of some outstanding reining bloodlines but is now a reining 'reject.'  Why?  Because a well-known trainer had him, tied him around for 'having attitude' and the horse ended up freaking out, and nearly cut his tongue completely off.  He is healed now and she uses him for dressage, where they have been quite successful.  Success in this case is relative to the fact that this horse was not only physically damaged, but also mentally fragile, and so finding him a job that he can do happily and comfortably is a triumph in itself.

What is terribly sad for me, and extremely disappointing, is that the trainer who did this to this gelding is someone I know quite well, someone who has had horses I've bred and someone who I thought I might want to send my own horses to in the future.  But now I cannot un-know what I know.  I have considered that if I put a horse in training in the reining industry, would it be possible to have a trainer sign a 'no tie around' contract, to attempt to save my horses from this fate?  I have a feeling that such a request would be met with arrogance and defensiveness, so my only hope is to find a trainer who is against such methods already.  I encourage everyone to do the same.  Ask your trainer if they tie around.  If they do, expect to hear a lot of justifications and excuses.  Just remember that they are consciously using a short cut, and this represents a hole in their methodology and a very real threat to your horse's well-being.  Then take your horse and head the other direction.

How Far Would You Go to Look Cool?

I admit it.  I don't always 'get' people. Sometimes I really don't understand some people's need to fight, argue and disparage others, even in the face of clear evidence that they are wrong.  Bring up any topic on social media and people will line up on either side and sling mud at each other, even at those who lay a subject out clearly and without anger.  It doesn't matter if a solution is right there in front of them, with statistics and truth easily accessible, they fight on, usually resorting to name-calling, vicious insults, and cry "freedom" when all else fails, because, well, we are surely free to remain stuck in our ways, heels dug in the dirt out of defiance and spite.  I stay away from debates on social media as a general rule; it is ridiculous to argue with someone who has nothing better to do, and wants to scream obscenities ALL IN CAPS with poor logic and punctuation.  No thanks.

But I witnessed an ongoing thread on FB that bothered me deeply, so I decided to bring the subject here, and examine it.

The subject was a photo of a tiny girl, age 6, riding a huge horse in a barrel pattern.  This is an itty bitty girl, much smaller than my own 6 yr old son, and the horse, who is really getting at it as it rounds a barrel, is a large stock type horse.  The worrisome part is that this child is riding without a helmet.  Many people brought up this fact in the comments, and each person who did was immediately attacked with such viciousness that it was as if they had suggested something vile upon this little girl.  Some of the replies to those who suggested that she should be wearing a helmet: "Real cowgirls don't wear helmets," "we stay away from people who wear helmets because their horses are always spoiled rotten and they can't ride" and "this little girl is a better rider than any of you who wear helmets" and my favorite, "All you granola crunching, mini van type idiots stay out of this!!!"  Over 28,000 comments, which were split down the middle, going back and forth between rationality and ugliness.

I have written about my opinion of helmets before, but I'd like to re-visit it in response to the sheer voracity of some who are not only resistant to putting them on their own or their children's heads, but also who treat those who choose to protect themselves by wearing one so incredibly bad.

For those who say "we didn't grow up wearing helmets, and we survived,"  you need to wake up - it's 2013.  There are a LOT of things that we didn't do 'back in the old days,' such as use car seats, wear floatation devices, or disinfect medical instruments, that help our species survive better.  Hopefully, we are evolving to take better care of the bodies we are born into and have a better understanding of how and when injury is likely to occur.  If you grew up riding horses and never knew anyone who received a concussion from falling off their horse, either you didn't know that many people who rode, or you were just plain ol' lucky.  I have known many, many people who were excellent riders who had accidents resulting in concussions, some horrific and life-changing, and I know a similar number of people whose attending ER physician told them that the only reason they were still alive is because they were wearing a helmet.  The 'good ol' days' argument is worn out and tired.  Medical science's understanding of the brain and its fragility tells us that even one good thunk in the head can cause irreversible damage, resulting in memory loss, personality changes, depression, uncontrollable anger, higher rates of suicide over the long term, and death in the short term if the hit has caused even a small brain bleed.

For those who say, "a kid can get hurt just walking down the street, and are less likely to get hurt while riding a big ol' babysitter of a horse,"  I say, where in the heck do you live?  Benghazi? Islamabad?  According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, there were 14,446 reported head injuries from horseback riding accidents in 2009, accounting for 60% of all horse-back riding deaths.   A fall of just 2 feet can cause death from brain injury, and most rider's heads are eight feet above the ground.  In addition, children between the ages of 10 -14 are most likely to be involved in a horse-related accident.  Please read more about what the AANS says regarding head injury here, and scroll down to the section regarding horseback riding.  As my favorite instructor told me as a kid, "it isn't IF you are going to fall off, it is WHEN."  Hopefully it is when you are wearing a helmet.

For those who say "real cowgirls don't wear helmets," I suppose you'd jump off a cliff if all the other 'cowgirls' were doing it too?  This is peer pressure at its absolute worst; bullying for the sake of trying to look cool.  Some trends are not worth following, and I can assure you, you won't look cool after your traumatic brain injury leaves you in a wheel chair, drooling, not able to put together a thought.  What are you so afraid of?  That someone will see your helmet and assume that you are a beginner who can't ride?  Why not prove them wrong with your performance?  And perpetuating a tradition that puts people, especially children, at risk is far from 'cool.'


For those who say, "my horse is so good, he will take care of me," I say you are a fool if you think that a certain horse can make the experience 100% safe for you.  If you really are horse-knowledgeable, then you'd know that anything, literally ANYTHING, can happen while you are riding.  Some things may be the result of a horse misbehaving, but a vast number of accidents are due to miscues and mistakes by the rider or from simple, physical problems, like a horse tripping, slipping, equipment breaking, or something unexpected occurring in the environment.  I have been riding and training horses my entire life, and have done well at it....you have no idea how many times I have had horses fall while I was riding them.  [I'm sure there are some that will somehow blame this on my ineptitude, without having seen me ride or know any of the circumstances.  The truth is, many of them were young, inexperienced horses, and in other instances, I was asking the horse for a certain level of performance or speed, which is necessary when you are training horses.]

For those of you who say, "my kid is a great rider and therefore won't get hurt;"  I say, really??  The little girl I mentioned above was 6.  How long could she possibly have been doing any meaningful riding? A year?  If you knew an adult who came to you and said 'I have been riding a year,' would you consider them an expert?  I wouldn't.  There is no way that any child, no matter how good of a seat they have, can have enough expertise to avoid an accident.  Even adults who have ridden their whole lives can't!  Consider the case of Courtney King-Dye, an accomplished Dressage rider who suffered a TBI when her horse tripped and fell and she wasn't wearing a helmet - yeah, I know, all you 'real cowgirls' probably say she isn't a 'real' rider because she rides English.  She went to the Olympics for goodness sakes.  Let's see you do some one-tempi changes or a perfect cantering pirouette.

People, riding horses is an extreme sport, similar to skiing/snowboarding, riding dirt bikes, or skateboarding.  Helmets (and other protective gear) is commonplace in all these sports, except horseback riding, for the sole reason that it doesn't 'look cool.'  Parents pass down the tradition of being afraid of not looking cool to their kids, and stuff their ears with their fingers when confronted with the truth of the real risks they are taking with their children's fragile brains, and scream "YOU GO BABY! COWGIRL UP!!" as they launch them full blast on a 1,000 lb animal.  This doesn't look cool - it looks reckless.  It is one thing if you are an adult and choose to not wear a helmet, assuming that you understand the risks and don't care.  But a child must rely on the good judgement of his/her parents to protect them, as they have no way of understanding all the consequences of an action, nor are able to see way down the road and anticipate their future with diminished mental capacity due to a TBI.

As an instructor, I want that little girl to ride with all of her heart, learning lessons of perseverance, patience, fortitude and strength along the way, but NOT while risking a brain injury.  She needs her brain, for school, for work, for her relationships, for happiness.  If we can prevent an injury, why wouldn't we?  It is an easy thing to put a helmet on.  They are comfortable, come in pretty colors, and it would be extremely easy to make wearing one into a trend - IF we make taking care of oneself more cool than wearing a straw hat.

I do believe the tides are turning.....I know of a particular little girl, age 11, who shows reiners, and is an excellent hand.  She has been riding all her life, having come from a family with a long history in horses.  Both her father and her grandfather are well-known and esteemed in the industry, and have furnished her with a wonderful facility along with top-caliber horses, and many opportunities to compete.  There is no doubt that one day, this little girl will be either a top non-pro or a top professional, if she choose to go that route.  It would be easy for her to go along with the crowd and not wear a helmet - but she does!  Even when she shows!  I am very proud of her, and have relayed my support to her parents and grandpa, who love her to death and want the best for her - - which is the full use of her brain.

Standing Up For Laying Down

Have you ever had someone misconstrue your training methods?

Many years ago, I worked as an assistant for a very well-known trainer in a barn that specialized in top-notch Arabian and Half Arabian English horses.  Most of the horses that came through the barn were very fancy, athletic show horses destined to win accolades in the show ring.  But like in every training barn, there are times that you need to keep the barn full, and you take horses in to training that are more likely to end up as personal riding horses who tote their owners around the ring or the trails on the weekends.  That is how we ended up with "Merrylegs."  His owners had bred him and had kept him at home.  They just wanted to ride him for pleasure, and he needed some tuning up.  Much like the pony in the book "Black Beauty," he was short, dappled gray, round and fat like a pony.  He was very cute, and even though he had a longer registered name that the owner called him, we began to refer to him as Merrylegs.  At first, he was as sweet as the pony in the book too.  This horse ended up on my list of charges, so I started by riding him for short periods every day to start getting him in shape - did I mention that he was fat?

Anyway, after a week or two of decent rides he began to display a very dangerous pattern. He didn't want to be caught, he wouldn't move off after you mounted, and he would stop dead while going forward at a trot or canter and refuse to move.  (It should be said here that this horse had nothing physically wrong with him, and the tack I was using fit him fine. I was using a very non-punitive plain snaffle.)  At first, I would redirect him, asking him to turn off one direction or the other, but he figured that tactic out and would again try to stonewall me.  My fellow assistant and the trainer we worked for would make suggestions, but he continued.  I tried groundwork with him and had no problems, I tried different bits, and I tried 'getting after him' with my legs (no spurs, I felt this would make it worse) and the small crop I carried.  Nothing helped.  In fact, the horse began rearing - and rearing BIG.  We spoke with the owner, and, oh yeah, he had been giving her similar problems. This was one of my first experiences with the problem of owners spoiling their horses to the point of making them dangerous, but that is a discussion for another blog.

So everyday I would attempt to ride this horse who had zero interest in working, had been spoiled beyond belief and had learned that you could get humans to get off of you by rearing.  He could actually walk on his hind legs with me on his back!  I hated riding him, and yet, it was my job to at least try to salvage him.  It was obvious that eventually the horse was going to fall on me, and it didn't seem like we were getting anywhere by me just trying to stay on all the time.  It was finally brought up by the trainer I worked for that it was time to "lay him down*."  This was before The Horse Whisperer, before I had seen similar things done by "natural" horsemen, and I was VERY worried.  It upset me that this horse reared, but I am a pretty loving person who can't stand the sight of a living being in pain.  I did not want this horse to be hurt at my hands.  However, it wasn't really up to me, so my trainer put a running W on the horse, and after lunging him in it for a few minutes, she held up one of the horse's front legs, causing him to hop on three legs for a few minutes, and eventually, to lay down in the soft dirt of the arena.  At that point, the trainer, myself, and the other asst. took time to sit on him, keeping him on the ground for several minutes, showing him that we controlled him.  When we finally let him up, he was unhurt, but not unchanged.  His attitude on subsequent rides was much improved; I can't say he was perfect after that, but he definitely had a new-found respect for us.  His rearing became less and less of a problem.

Eventually, his owner's training money ran out and Merrylegs went home, and I don't know how he behaved when he got there, but this was a real learning moment for me.  Prior to this incident, I believed that everyone who layed horses down did so behind their barn, where they might cover the horse with a tarp and beat them into submission.  I believed it to be cruel in every instance, yet here was an example where the horse wasn't injured at all, and probably came out of it for the better.  Sure, there might have been other ways to train him out of it; riders on one end of the extreme might have done ground work for months to make up for all that his owner didn't teach him about respect, and riders on the other end of the spectrum might have just beat the crap out of him until he figured out that when humans say go, you better go.  Neither of these strategies were a good fit for this horse, or myself, so I believe that what we did was somewhere in the middle and the best that we could do in this situation.

Why am I telling you this story?  I recently stumbled upon a discussion about habituation and flooding in horse training that became a highly contentious conversation. The people participating in the discussion were very polarized in their views and it reminded me of Merrylegs and how we used a moment of flooding to change his ways.  For the sake of  this discussion, let's give a quick overview of these terms.  Habituation is the desensitization that occurs when the horse experiences an object, sound or behavior over and over again until it no longer reacts to it.  Habituation can be achieved through approach and retreat, where a trainer repeatedly shows the horse something and then takes it away, or stops.  The action is repeated over and over, increasing the length of time that the 'pressure.' is applied.  Habituation can also be achieved through flooding, which is when the stimulus is applied and isn't removed until the horse relents and no longer reacts to it.

Let's take these tactics and apply them to a horse training scenario, such as saddling a horse for the first time.  You are trying to achieve habituation, which would be that the horse no longer notices the saddle on its back.  If you used approach and retreat, you would show the horse the saddle, let him sniff it, put it away.  The next day, you would set it on his back, and put it away, the day after that, you might saddle him and walk him around a minute, and then put it away, until you had progressed to saddling, lunging and riding.  If you used flooding, you would saddle the horse and let him 'buck it out' until he gave up, realizing he can't get it off his back.  This process might take one session or many.  Both approach and retreat as well as flooding can be applied to many different behaviors that we are trying to illicit from our horses, from accepting tack to teaching the horse to set its head.

As you can imagine, some people are very much against flooding, saying that it traps the horse, breaks them down, or scars them psychologically.  Others offer that it is sometimes necessary, and when applied properly, can break through to difficult horses.  In the discussion that I am referring to, a trainer who specializes in starting racehorses - including problem ones - was villified for laying horses down routinely in his training program.  This trainer has posted videos of his methods on youtube, and what I saw him do was not what I would consider cruel or inhumane.  There was no beating, kicking, jerking, poking or any behavior that I considered to be punitive.  He was not reacting with frustration toward the horse - which is when most cruelty happens, when the human is frustrated because he/she cannot think of anything else to try on the horse to get them to do what he/she wants.  In other words, laying a horse down doesn't mean you are seeking to hurt the horse because it won't relent.  It can be simply presenting the horse with a choice - you either submit to me, or life will get difficult for you.  It reminds me of how a wolf packs behaves; older, dominant wolves will put a pup on the ground, on its back and hold them there, showing the younger who is boss.  In the horse-human diad, someone has to be boss, and it should be the human.

Most experienced horse owners and trainers realize that we give our horses this same choice every day from the moment they are born.  My foals are not spoiled, rubbed on, kissed and given treats.  They are treated like little horses that will eventually become big horses and have the physical power to kill someone.  They learn the rules early, and know from Day One that they need to respect their human counterparts and submit to their wishes.  But after years and years of meeting horses like Merrylegs, and the owners who made them that way, it is clear that many people out there don't understand how to do this. Nor are all horses bred like mine are; trainability and temperament are of absolute importance in my breeding stock.  Does this matter to everyone breeding horses? Not by a long shot, especially within the racing industry.  When you are breeding a horse for speed, temperament doesn't figure in as much.

The thought of trying to break a 17 hand fire-breathing Thoroughbred with the intention of teaching him to run as fast as possible makes my blood run cold!  And these are not horses that are allowed months and months of gentling and groundwork.  If a racehorse is unwilling to get along with his trainer, he has the highest chance of any equine on the planet of being sent to slaughter.  Their lives literally depend on someone getting through to them, quickly and without injury.  I have to respect someone who has the ability and the willingness to attempt to give these horses the choice. While flooding may not be an appropriate training method for every training problem, such as getting a horse to stay in frame or if a horse is terrified on an object, laying a horse down can be useful in establishing who is the leader for horses with no respect for humans. 

Laying a horse down is not part of my training program, in fact, the incident with Merrylegs has been the one and only time in my lifetime of horses that I participated in doing it.  I personally am not up for it; I am realistic about my physical abilities and understand that it takes someone with quick and precise reflexes, and physical agility that I don't possess (I have a messed up knee). Attempting it when you aren't quick and sure on your feet is very dangerous for you and the horse.  It also takes instant and flexible common sense, lots and lots of experience, and above all, a cool demeanor that resists frustration and punitive reactions.  If all of these conditions are met, the horse in question might actually have a chance to have a life, even beyond the race track, or whatever discipline they are being prepared for. In teaching them to submit, you are giving them an opportunity to be useful.

The end message here is that life is many shades of gray, and until we are personally faced with something similar we might not see the intention behind a training method.  Most people can recognize abuse when it happens because there is a shift in intention; an abuser is aggressive in a way that affords the horse no way out, and the punishment comes without rhyme or reason.  But sometimes strictness has a way of shaping desired behavior that shows the animal clearly what their choices are.  Much in the way that juvenile detention bootcamps can shake up a teenage rebel, flooding, specifically laying a horse down, can take a horse that is basically useless and dangerous and allow them a chance at life.

Have you ever laid a horse down?

*Please do not confuse this with teaching a horse to lay down as a trick.  When using 'laying down' as a training method, I am referring to a horse that does not want to lay down, or go along with anything that you are trying to teach them.  It is the act of forcing them to the ground.

Defensive Riding?

I am a country girl.  I was born to run barefoot, play in lakes and ride my horses.  Other than the years surrounding my time at college, I have lived most of my life outside the city limits, and enjoyed the freedoms that go with that.  One such freedom has always been having access to places to 'ride out' on my horses.  As I have gotten older, I have seen that being able to safely ride off your property is a luxury that we are slowly losing, and may someday disappear all together.

I have kept horses in a variety of situations, and some were where we had access to trails through surrounding woods, or we had permission to ride around farm fields or orchards owned by neighboring farmers.  This is how it was when I was growing up; it was great fun to take the horses out with friends and just walk and talk.  I have also kept horses at stables that were smack dab in the middle of a busy urban area, where there was very little riding out unless you could haul out.  It is incredibly dangerous to cross a crosswalk on horseback at a busy intersection with six lanes of traffic, bicycles and drivers who know absolutely nothing about a horse - and think that the best thing to do is honk at them!  I haven't done this myself, thank you, but I have seen people try it, and it always worries me.  As soon as I was finished with school, I moved my horses out of the city, seeking that relaxed - and relatively safer - environment where I could ride out if I wanted.

And we found that place, or so we thought.  I have come to the realization that it is becoming more and more difficult to find safe places to ride, no matter where you go.  First, there is less land available for it, because of urban sprawl and because there is less public land available.  More roads are paved, which increases vehicle speeds.  And fewer people have horses than when I was growing up, so fewer people understand horses, and therefore, don't necessarily how to handle vehicles, ATV's, bicycles or dogs around them.  And maybe, just maybe, people these days are a little more self-involved, rushed or too distracted by techno gadgets to pay attention while they are driving.

Nowadays, if you are riding your horse next to a road or on public land, you really need to prepare as if your life could be in danger.  Always wear bright colored, reflective clothing, even if it isn't dark when you go out. Know your route, and take roads that have wide shoulders or ditches where you can take your horse well off the road when traffic passes.  Do not assume that the driver (or rider) coming at you understands a horse's body language - or is paying attention to it.  Wave your arms or hold up your flat palm to ask them to slow down if possible.  Be ready to jump down and just hold your horse if he seems antsy, and he risks putting you in front of traffic.  And please be prudent when taking young or untrained horses out.  It is kind of unfair, because the only way a horse really gets an education is to be exposed to things, but you really must choose carefully when and where that experience comes.

I live in an area where the roads have many shallow hills, just a big enough dip to hide a vehicle who is speeding your way.  Not very far away from my house, a farmer was nearly killed when he was hit from behind by an SUV while driving his tractor down a rural (dirt) road.  The SUV was flying had come up over a hill into a dip, where there was no way to see the tractor or slow down.  I have had similar things happen to me while riding, as you maybe have too. We have had so many close calls that we no longer drive our pony down our road.  The shoulders are so steep that it would cause the cart to tip if we had to get over there, and there would be little contest between our little old cart and a truck doing 65.  And again, I live way out in the country, where, you'd think, you'd be able to drive or ride your horse.  But reality is that those days may be ending.

So drivers - let's raise some awareness.  In my neighborhood, the people that speed past when we ride down our road, without giving us an inch, are not my neighbors that I know have horses.  So I have to assume, dear reader, that you are also a horse person and thus, slow down when you encounter someone riding next to the road in your area, maybe even give them a conciliatory wave and a smile.  I also hope that if you think they are having trouble with their horse, you would stop completely or pull off.  Twice in my life I have witnessed people being dumped next to the road (not because of me or my driving btw), and I got out and caught the horse for them.  Let's mentor that kind of behavior in other people.  Let's show our passengers the correct way to handle a vehicle when horses are near the roadway; by slowing down, being aware and courteous.  When we are passengers of people who aren't horse-savvy, a polite heads-up to the driver might, in fact, save someone's life, or their horse's.  Maybe by doing our part, someone will do the same for us when we are the ones on the horses.

Happy Thanksgiving and take care out there!

A Good Horse Makes For Short Miles

Good morning and Happy Tuesday!

The past few weeks I have been spending quite a bit of time in the barn and riding.  The weather has been great, and my training horses have been doing very well, so I feel very fortunate to be able to spend that time in the saddle.  It won't be long, and the cold will deter me, so I am taking advantage of it now.

On the 11th of November, we will reach the 90 day mark in Candy's training. [I have covered Candy before - read here]  This is a great time to evaluate how a young one is doing, as it is enough time usually for them to trust you so you can get something done with them.  Candy, whom I like to call 'Little Sister' in honor of her two wonderful older brothers, Atley and Broque, is doing wonderfully.  When she came to me, she had spent most of her life outside, in a herd, being handled only to do basic vet procedures and occasionally being tied up to be fed.  She has been a sweet girl from Day One though, never seeming to be adverse to the training process; rather, she has always been eager to please, even if she wasn't sure what exactly to do.

I am now riding her in a snaffle rather than a sidepull, and have moved from riding her in a round pen to working her in my large, open, riding area.  I am happy to say that she appears to handle much like her brothers - she is light on your legs (without spurs), sensitive to the rider's movements but not jerky or hot, follows her nose beautifully and is proving to have a nice, soft mouth.  She backs, circles well, and is just starting to rate her speed.  She is thoroughly un-spooky, and up until this point, she and I have not had any major blow ups, nor do I expect to.  I just LOVE riding her!  So often, a trainer must spend a big chunk of time fixing what the previous trainer did to a horse.  It is a wonderful thing to get one that is untouched and have the opportunity to create a horse free of bad behaviors and/or fear.  Her owner is very happy with how she is doing, and I am pretty sure Candy is happy too; when I walk into the barn to get her out, she nickers to me - - and no, she doesn't get treats! :)

One thing that I have had to adjust to, though, is a different saddle.  I have been complaining lately about all the wear and tear that my work tack is taking, and Candy's owner suggested that I try one of her 'extra' saddles - a treeless Sports Saddle.  I was wary*, but gave it a try, and have been pleasantly surprised.  First off, I love how lightweight it is.  And it is REALLY comfortable.  This saddle isn't meant for collection work, or for schooling fast turns at speed, but for putting miles on a three yr old?  Perfect!  And I don't have to feel guilty this winter about getting on my leather saddles with muddy boots!

Have you ever tried a Sports Saddle?  How hard is it for you to ride in tack that is different than what you are used to?

*I had tried to ride in one last year, on a different horse, and it felt very awkward to me at the time.  The one I had used previously had a fleece seat cover on it, making me feel like I was sitting WAAAAAY up on the horse, and it was 'roll-y' to boot.  This time, no seat cover, and I am much happier.  This saddle is tricky though - when you sit down in it, everything compresses, meaning your girth is immediately loose, which, of course, lends itself to rolling.  I have gotten very good at tightening the girth while mounted, which helps tremendously!

My Scariest Ride

Happy Halloween!  In the spirit of this spooky day, I was thinking about fear, and times that I have been scared while riding.  I haven't had too many bad wrecks, but like anything else, it is the anticipation of something scary that is the worst, especially since it can cause things to spin out of control when you are on a horse.  I'd like to share such an experience with you....

Many years ago, when I was fresh out of college, I went to work for an Arabian/National Show Horse trainer as her assistant. This meant that I was tasked with many different things; feeding, grooming, working horses, of course, but also starting young horses under saddle.  The trainer, myself, and the other assistant each had a list of horses that we worked, and of course, some of them were nicer to have on your list than others.

Through either fate or bad luck, somehow I got Ladyhawke on my list.  She was a tiny NSH mare, and deceptively cute.  She had had very little handling before coming to me, so I did the normal things with her; groundwork and lunging, eventually climbing on her while being led.  I would have described her as 'a bit squirrely'.  She was extremely sensitive to my legs, easily surprised when presented with new things, and not exactly "joined up" with us, but at the time, I was in my early 20s and had ridden some pretty feisty horses, so I was typically cavalier about it.  After working with her for about 2 weeks, I started taking her around the arena on my own, and had even started trotting her (no doubt BEFORE I was sure that she knew the word 'whoa').  As they say, hindsight is 20/20....

One day, I was riding Ladyhawke in the arena while the shoer was there working on horses.  The arena was connected to the barn by a dirt ramp that goes up to the barn, where, to the immediate right, there are crossties, and where the shoer had his truck parked, in the barn aisle, so as to have access to his forge.  The barn was very noisy that day, with everyone moving horses, people cleaning stalls, hollering over the forge and the shoer's hammer.  As I rode past that end of the arena, something spooked Ladyhawke, which caused my legs to bang against her, and she was OFF. 

There are times when flight animals are so terrified for their lives that they are no longer thinking; their only conscious desire is to get away.  That is where Ladyhawke was, and I quickly realized this as I did everything I could do to get the horse to stop.  But because the mare was so green and hadn't put any trust in me yet, every movement I made only scared her more, and she flew around that arena like she was on fire.  I had her head on her chest, see-sawing, trying to circle her, saying whoa over and over. None of it was did any good - and as the mare came back around to the ramp end of the arena, she saw it as her way out, and made a quick 90 degree turn up the ramp and another immediate 90 degree turn into the barn aisle, all while running blind in terror.  I managed to stay with her and she somehow made it past the shoer's truck; there was only enough space to lead a horse through there, and am surprised that I didn't take out his rear view mirror with my knee.

At this point, I was scared.  When I had been flying around the arena on her, I was upset, of course, but had tried to focus on solving the problem and getting her stopped.  The second she decided to exit stage right, I realized that this could end very badly.  As she ran down the barn aisle toward the two barn doors, which were partially closed that day due to a cold wind, I experienced for the first time my life flashing before my eyes.  She made it through the doors - I swear, if she had been any bigger, she would have broken both of  my legs - and out she went.  I remember thinking, as long as I am on her back, she is going to keep running.  Get off.  Now.  The anticipation of what that meant made me hesitate a moment.  You know it is going to hurt to hit the ground, but I knew running through a fence would hurt more.  And I saw a patch of grass and literally dove for it.

As I got up off the ground, slowly, and everyone came running out of the barn to see what happened, I was SO grateful.  While I was very sore for about a week, there were no broken bones, no serious injuries except to my pride.  It was terrifying to be so completely out of control of a horse I was on, but I learned some valuable lessons that day, like how to take my time with the young ones, and not to move on to the next step until you are really sure the horse is ready.  I also spend a lot more time in a confined space teaching them the basics, and I always wear a helmet when starting young horses now.  But most importantly, I think I have learned that the anticipation of an event can be worse than it actually is.  Sometimes we don't have good choices in life; we have to go through certain things to learn our lessons, but we can't let fear be a distraction.  We have to swallow the fear, take the leap, and have faith that we can handle whatever happens next.




* As for Ladyhawke, she ran to the other end of the farm, but was caught and brought back without any incident or injury.  A few days later, the head trainer had a local guy who did rodeo and rode broncs come out to work with her.  Unfortunately, she wasn't going to go along easy and dumped him the first time after he had only ridden her about 25 feet.  He got back on, and this time he lasted about a minute.  He wasn't inclined to get back on after that, and neither was anyone else.  The trainer, who happened to own her, then decided to turn Ladyhawke back out to 'grow up a little.'  I don't know what happened to her, but I hope that her good looks inspired someone to put in the time with her.  No doubt she would have been quite a project for someone, but ultimately worth it.  She was definitely athletic!  haha! 

Do-It-Yourself Meets the 21st Century

The world is getting smaller everyday, and the distances between us becoming shorter, thanks to the amazing technologies of mobile communications, satellites, and the world wide web. We are living in the future, folks, where we can remain in touch with anyone or anything we choose, with the touch of a finger or the click of a mouse. Information can be traded so easily that there is nothing in the world that you cannot access and learn through the Web, including horses. While the horse world has long used the internet to advertise and disseminate information, the opportunities to learn specific skills relating to horse training has been limited to more traditional, face to face instruction. Youtube overflows with videos demonstrating techniques, but in simply observing a video, the viewer is not able to ask questions, or have someone watch them perform the task on their own horse and give them feedback. Information only flows one way, limiting the learning opportunity.

A new online training system means to address this limitation – the Western Rider Development Programme. What if you could treat your desire to ride better the same as an online college course, but still get quality one-on-one instruction that was completely individualized to your needs? This is what the WDRP aims to do. They have organized a training syllabus into levels of ability that riders can ascend through at their own pace. Each individual lesson within the levels is fully explained in language that anyone can take out and use in their day to day riding. The rider may ask questions of a panel of experts, who are always available for support, and there are also articles that focus on the psychological aspects of riding. When the rider feels they are ready, they can submit a video of themselves performing the maneuvers required at that level, and can pass to the next level.

I am extremely pleased and proud to have been invited to contribute to the WDRP. I will serve on the panel of experts, taking questions and assisting in assessing individuals as they ascend the levels. I have already contributed an article, “Flexibility and Straightness,” to the website, so I invite you to check it out.

This innovative new way to learn about riding western will benefit many people; including those who live too far away from a qualified instructor to make lessons feasible, those who have a constantly changing schedule, or those who would like to learn new things and become a better rider on their own time. With internet/wireless technology, you can have the WDRP support and information with you anywhere! And for those riders who don't want to compete, they can earn recognition for the skills they master.

Judith Hubbard, one of the founders of the WDRP, says, “Here in the UK, and maybe in other countries around the world, it's not so easy to get access to regular western tuition. So we decided to find a 21st century solution - an internet-based training programme built around the www.westerntrainingonline.co.uk website. The website, and the online tuition provided, enables western riders to become more educated and develop their skills, no matter where they live. It's a simple concept, but it works! Over the coming months we'll add more to the website - there'll be more training articles as well as input from our growing panel of experts. And we're sure we'll be reporting lots of good news as our riders progress through the Programme!”

It is very exciting to share something in the horse world that is truly new and different and positive. I hope you take a look at it and give it a try.

Ready, Willing and Able

Well, hello Autumn!  Yes, my favorite season has arrived, and I have been spending as much time as possible outside, soaking up the great weather that we've been having here in Kansas.  I have some wonderful training horses to work with right now, so the sunny skies have been matching up nicely with my sunny disposition in the saddle. One of them, a mare named Candy, was featured in an earlier blog posting, "New Week, New Horse," and I'd like to give you all an update on how she is doing.

Is it possible that some horses are just born to be ridden?  This fantastic little mare sure seems to be.  Candy has been nothing but good for the past two months that she has been with me.  When she got here, pretty much the only thing she knew how to do was tie; she had lived her young life in a pastured herd, with some recent experience being tied up to be fed.  When a trainer hears an owner tell them, "she knows nothing," we are usually more than a little concerned about what we are getting ourselves into.  But the owner is a close friend whom I trust in her instincts on horses, and I also trained this mare's two older full brothers, so I took her on.  I am glad I did.

My number one priority with Candy, as with any horse, has been to try to eliminate, as much as possible, any negative impressions or incidences the mare might have about being ridden and worked.  From Day One, everything my husband and I have done with her has been handled with great care so as to always foster Candy's confidence in herself and us.  Obviously, we had to start with the basics, and we made sure that the mare always understood before moving on to the next step.  The philosophy is that on any given day that you are working with a young horse, you can work on all the things you worked on the day before, plus one extra thing.  That's it.  When horses are young, they can't process several new things at once, and your chances of being successful begin to go down when you pile on a bunch of new challenges at once.  (And when I say successful, I mean, not just getting them to do whatever it is, but doing it with the least amount of negative emotional residue. If the horse walks away from a workout feeling frightened, stressed or confused, you have not been successful.)  Sometimes, the things you worked on the day before are enough, and you can't add a new thing, and that is OK.  When it comes to young horses, my belief is that it is better to err on the side of caution, take your time and build slowly.  I know there are people out there that pride themselves on how quickly they can "get a horse broke," but I prefer to ride the one that had careful, patient schooling in which the lessons were allowed to really sink and and be understood.

So Candy went from being led and free-lunged to lunged on a line in a round pen, to being lunged in an open area, then lunged saddled, then mounted and standing, then mounted and led, and finally to being mounted and ridden independently.  When I first sat on her, she wasn't in much of a rush to go anywhere; she wanted to just sit and adjust to the weight of me on her back. When I eventually got her moving forward, she was hesitant and a bit stodgy, so I worried that we would have a lazy one on our hands.  On the contrary, after allowing her time to build up the muscles in her back at the walk, she and I have been trotting around without any problems.  She has been calm and quiet and, dare I say, satisfied with herself every step of the way.  She is already showing sensitivity to my leg, and thankfully, a decided indifference to things going on around her.  I am extremely pleased!  I am riding her in a bitless side-pull bridle, so we will be introducing her to a snaffle bit sometime soon, as well as riding her outside the ring, and with other horses.

As for comparing her to her two older brothers, Atley and Broque (pronounced 'Brock'), she clearly favors Atley in her personality; she loves to be loved on, and is very affectionate.  I told her owner, "If you had to walk past a fire-breathing dragon with Candy, all you would have to do is put your hand on her neck and coo to her, and she will go anywhere you tell her."  I think she is very much like Broque too though, because both of them are very sensitive.  They respond to a slight, soft touch, or little shift, or a murmur. What is incredible about all of them is that they are so willing; none of them have given any major resistance along the way.  I know that this is due to three important facts:

• It is readily apparent from examining these three sibling's conformation that they are the product of two fantastic horses.  And when you spend time around them, you can see that their sire and dam also imparted fantastic MINDS in these horses.  They are quick, but calm thinkers.
• Allowing them to be horses in a herd with minimal human interaction can work well, as long as the interactions they do have are handled with care.  There is something to be said for a horse that grows up relying on itself and its herd, rather than seeing man as a treat machine and/or someone to rub that itchy spot.  These three are not spoiled in any way.
• Taking the time to do things right actually makes the whole process go faster.  In allowing the horse to fully understand a skill before moving on, I don't have to go back and correct as much. 

  All three of them have been fantastic to train, and I am honored to have had the job!   There will be more updates to come, so stay tuned....

Enjoy your day!

The Sky Is NOT Falling

An important part of my job as a blogger is to keep tabs on what is going on in the horse industry, and report my take on those happenings. One place that I frequently check for new subjects is the Quarter Horse News, and specifically, the blogs that they sometimes publish. I take everything I read there with a grain of salt; after years of subscribing, it is apparent to me that the QHN and its editors have a definite agenda that is evident in their writing and coverage of current events. Nevertheless, I recognize that a certain segment of our industry thinks like they do, and it is interesting and helpful to be able to identify those trends.

Recently, I read the most recent entry of “Katie's Blog” and was struck by the tone it took. The topic was on the USDA regulation of Tennessee Walker shows, and how it “had taken on a life of its own.” This blog entry characterized the inspections as inept, quoting a trainer (who had been disqualified due to scars present on his horse's legs) as saying, “The government went nuts. They don’t know what they’re doing. Absolutely don’t know what they’re doing.” Katie went on to question whether the government would soon be looking at other equine competitions, and would even go after people for tying up their horses.

She says several times that she isn't promoting cruelty, but I am puzzled....what is she promoting by trying to set the inspections of horses at competitions in such a negative light? The right of others to be cruel to their horses? That everyone should resist any monitoring, because “God forbid” it might lead to all of us losing our animals?

The “Big Lick” Tennessee Walker people have a long history of hurting horses for the sake of blue ribbons, and they are now getting what is due to them. Let's give the good people of our USDA some credit; they are not complete idiots. They aren't blind. If they see a horse with scars or marks that fall within the predetermined standards for abuse, the horse is out. OF COURSE the trainers who are ousted are going to be mad, and are going to say that it was wrong, but I am pretty sure that most Walker enthusiasts want to weed out those that continue the nasty practice of soring, and make a statement to the rest of the world that they advocate for the horse. We should applaud them!

The attitude that there is something wrong with monitoring horses at competitions is paranoid and will not prepare the performance horse industry for the scrutiny that will inevitably come. Katie writes, “But what about hobbling a horse? What about using spurs? What about saddle spots? …...” Every single one of the listed methods of horse handling can and should be examined in a logical way. For example, spurs. They are part of the normal operating equipment for training horses (for many people, not all) and when used properly, do not cause significant harm. Are there types of spurs that are harsher than others? Yes! Are there trainers who abuse them? Yes! So, therefore, should they be regulated, both in type used and method? Yes! That isn't something I need the government to tell me, it is common sense, so why wait until an activist gets upset by watching a trainer bloody his horse with spurs, gets photographic proof of it, and then calls in the government to start writing sanctions? Can't we monitor and discipline our own now, and set a tone for what is acceptable? If we are worried that the USDA won't be capable of adequately monitoring our sport, shouldn't we appoint trained, and extremely objective, inspectors to monitor what goes on in the warm up areas and within the show pen at events? Isn't it prudent to be a step ahead of the scrutiny, rather than being reactive and defensive?

The performance horse industry has long operated under a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy toward training methods and abusive practices. Somehow, the right to put a bike chain in your horse's mouth has fallen under the same umbrella of willful ignorance as the right to carry loaded guns into bars. After all, how can you compete with the other guy if you aren't equally armed? How many people out there feel that their right to jerk and spur sounds something like, “I'll give up my 'brain chain' bridle....when you pry it from my cold dead hands!”? And questionable practices are certainly more likely to be ignored if the person doing them is popular, has a big name and lots of money.

This isn't the Wild West, folks. The performance horse industry must work in harmony with the rest of a global society in order for it to prosper. I am not a paranoid person; I don't believe that we are headed for some type of war against the humane activists. I also don't believe that an activist's end goal is to stop all horse competitions – they just want the horses to be treated with respect. For a very long time, we have turned a blind eye toward abusive training practices. It is my belief that the new spirit of activism has arrived to put a check on the attitude of disrespect toward the animals we make our living from.

And we have a choice now; keep our blinders on, continue to mind our own business, continue to accept that which we know is wrong, continue to dig in our heels at change. OR we can step up and move forward, toward better riding, better equipment, better rules and better competitions. We can choose to reach out to those who are concerned about the animals, and create a more transparent industry in which questionable methods that were previously hidden are nonexistent. And we can drop the scary rhetoric – it isn't “us” against “them.” We all should be for THE HORSE.

Let's Make a Bet....On Our Future

A new form of reining competition has come across my desk this week.  It is called the "World Reining League."  It a project started by Michael Miola/Silver Spurs Equine & an astronaut by the name of Charlie Dry (while his bio on the WRL website is extensive, there is no mention of prior experience in the horse world), and is touted as, "Transforming the equine sport of reining into an electrifying spectator sport complete with adrenaline-charged professional competition and world class entertainment."  Their vision for the WRL is that it "will employ professional cheerleaders, laser lights, a flying stage, etc. – a real entertainment production – completely scripted and choreographed."   Competition will be limited to 8 professionals who will have to have won at least $50,000, and who will be divided up into teams - the WRL hopes to eventually sell team franchises.  There will be quite a lot of money at stake to win as each event will have a minimum payout of $240,000 with $40,000 to paid each member of the winning team and $20,000 to each member of the second place team. And there will be betting - in fact, they already have a bookie in Las Vegas ready to take it on.


I am scratching my head over all this.  Is this where we are headed in promoting horse sport?  I think we all want to grow the horse industry, and many of us in the reining world would love to see more TV coverage and more fan attendance to events.  But lasers & flying stages?  It says on their website that , "a WRL event will actually be a reining competition wrapped around a rock concert."  And add drinking and professional cheerleaders, and you've got yourself a pretty rowdy atmosphere.  Anyone wonder what their drug policy will be for the horses involved?  Will these events be monitored for humane treatment and by whom?  (Yeah, I said it.  Whenever there is a prize at stake, we have to make sure the horses aren't misused in pursuit of that prize.)

Ya gotta wonder too, what the ticket prices will look like; if they are truly going to limit these exhibitions to arenas with no less than 10,000 seats, and you have all these extra people to pay, including putting on a concert (which, let's face it, for an artist that I'd actually want to see, the tickets aren't less than $65, and that is just for a concert), tickets to these events won't be inexpensive.


I am not a gambler.  I have never gambled at a casino, nor at a racetrack.  I have on occasion played Powerball, but only when the jackpots are huge, and my bets are never more than $5.  I just can't do it!  I see gambling as throwing money away, and, perhaps too, I don't want to fall into the trap of gambling addiction.  I realize that gambling is legal in many places, I understand that many people enjoy it, but it isn't for me.  So it isn't much of a jump to understand that I don't like the idea of betting on reining horses.  Betting hasn't done anything good for racehorses.  Yes, it has made many people very rich, but it has caused many horses' suffering (think tampering, think rampant drug use, think win at all costs), and aided many people in losing everything.  This wouldn't be like betting once a year on the Superbowl; the creators of the WRL see this as competing with NASCAR and other major league sports.  So betting on reining horses would become a weekly event?

I'd like to also point out that we already have "franchised teams" in a sense.  Owners of reining horses already put a lot of money into trainer's barns to go after NRHA sponsored titles.  If an owner wants to purchase WRL franchised team, won't that be spreading owner dollars thinner, and possibly take money away from our traditional reining events?


Don't even get me started on the whole professional cheerleaders thing....I mean, really?  Do we need to make reining horses sexy?  T & A with your Pattern #8?  As Joni Mitchell sings, "Sex sells everything..."


I'd love to hear what everyone's opinions are on this topic.  When I see something like this going on, I have to question, "Where do we want our sport to go?"  And I begin to wonder what visions of the future other people in the horse industry have.  While I have spoken on this blog about Michael Miola before, this isn't a personal attack.  I see it as perfectly logical that we should discuss this proposed competition, and if it has a place in the future of reining horses, and horse competition as a whole.  So....anyone wanna weigh in?

Every Little Bit Counts

Bits and bitting are endlessly fascinating for me.  I have been collecting bits since I was a kid; I actually have every bit I have ever owned, and most of them are still useful, even if they were manufactured 20 years ago.  Many things make them so alluring to me.  First, it is the myriad of configurations that bits come in.  The mouthpiece shapes, the side rings, the shanks, the differences in size and heft, and all the different functions that each individual bit is intended to accomplish point out man's long and complicated relationship with the horse.  Each bit tells a story of a horse and what his job was.  There is also the decorative allure of bits, from the sleek and simple English snaffles that I own to the fancy engraved western show bits, they are the perfect blend of functionality and beautiful design.  Yes, I have been known to decorate with bits.  LOL!

The most fascinating part of bitting for me, though, is the challenge that comes in finding just the right one for a particular horse that I am working with.  Each horses' mouth is unique, their age and training needs are different, and of course, there is their intended job that they need to fulfill for their owner.  I have never gotten rid of a bit because I almost always use them again.  Sometime, down the road, I will inevitably have a horse that needs a certain size or configuration, so I keep them on hand to try them when I need to.  I encourage everyone to keep and collect bits - you never know when you might need them!

I recently graduated one of my training horses, Broque, to a loose ring copper slow-twist snaffle.  He had been doing pretty well in the plain D-ring snaffle that I was using previously, but he was ready to get a little lighter, and needed to collect more at the lope.  And what a difference it made.  He was VERY happy in the new bit, light and responsive, and his lope was fantastic!  My philosophy toward changing bits is that it should be a reward for doing well in the previous, more 'elementary' bit - truly, a graduation up the ladder of education.  Usually, I find that horses like to learn the next step, if the bit fits them well and is a logical progression from where they just were. 

There are many riders who use the same bit all the time, and if it works well - all the time - that's fine.  Some people only use one bit because they understand that particular bit and trying something different is daunting.  I say, even a small change can make a big difference in your horse's performance!  Adding a dog bone (a small bone-shaped bar) to the center of your plain snaffle, or advancing to a light curb can do wonders for your horse's maneuverability, self-carriage, and rating of speed.  Always measure your horse's mouth and the bits you use to make sure the horse is going to be comfortable.  And remember the most important rule in bitting - the bit is only as harsh as the hands that hold the reins.  Make sure you are riding with an independent seat so that no matter what bit you use, your hands will be soft, still and responsive.

If you are interested in learning more about the art of bitting, check out "A Whole Bit Better," which is a fantastic aid in understanding how your horse's mouth works.  Another inexpensive addition to everyone's tack room is this tool that helps you measure your horse's mouth - makes it wonderfully easy!

Enjoy your day and enjoy your ride!!

Risk and Reward

Following up on Monday's blog post, "How Young is Too Young?," I thought I would address another issue that plagues many parents who want their kids to ride - how should falls be handled?

Every sport has its risks, and while we would love, as parents, to eliminate those risks, we also want our kids to grow up unafraid, and as well-rounded, tough individuals.  After all, the world is a scary place, and the only way to learn to deal with fear is to face it, and find ways to conquer it that are age appropriate.  Sometimes, it seems that there is a parental Murphy's Law in place: try to protect your kid in one area, and they find a way to hurt themselves somewhere else.  So, to stay sane and live a full life, we must simply accept a certain amount of risk with nearly everything we do.  The trick is to manage that risk, and find a way to learn from accidents when they happen.

Kids who ride horses frequently, with the intention of improving as riders, will eventually fall off.  [I am not talking about riding on a dude ranch once a year, on pony strings where the horses are chosen for their ability to walk quietly and ignore pretty much everything.  Those experiences are expressly designed to keep riders from falling off, and protect the ranch owner's liability.]  Riders who challenge themselves to get better will have to do things on horseback that throw them off balance, make them push their limits and ask their horses to do things they haven't yet done.  But if you choose a good instructor, and have chosen your horse carefully, the risks will be stepped up incrementally, so that the rider can face their fear, challenge their abilities and achieve their objectives - earning the right to ascend to the next level.  It is like allowing your child to take surfing lessons.  You know when you sign up that they will be wiping out and swallowing some ocean, but that doesn't mean you allow them to go out when the waves are 20 ft high.  You trust your instructor, and your instincts, to have good enough judgement to gradually increase the difficulty, so that the child isn't discouraged and doesn't get seriously injured.

So, there you are, watching your child take a riding lesson; they lose their balance, and hit the dirt.  What happens next is critical to how your child will deal with every unexpected setback that they have with horses.  Try very hard to control your emotions.  Most likely, your child will be more shocked, scared or angry than hurt.  They may cry, but they will get up.  As much as possible, let the instructor handle it.  They have dealt with it before, and as long as they aren't upset with the child, don't intervene.  When I have had kids fall, I calmly get them to their feet, check them over to make sure that nothing is broken, and then give them a pep talk, getting them back on as soon as they have calmed down.  I have had parents really freak out; and it is usually those kids that lose confidence afterward.  When a parent behaves as if the child narrowly avoided being eaten by a shark, the child is left to wonder how dangerous this activity really is, and doubt their own ability to handle it.  And this isn't good for their self esteem in any area of their life.  There is nothing worse to a kid than knowing that their parents believe that they can't handle something, especially something that they really want to try.

In all my years teaching, only once have I had a child break something so that they could not get back on.  This young girl was an excellent rider - one of my best ever.  Her mom also rode, and the girl's horse was a small Paint mare that they had bred themselves.  They had been having some difficulty with the mare though; she was lazy and a bit spoiled, and was always looking for a way out of work.  As a mount for the daughter, she was very much 'on probation' but hadn't done anything at that point to make us think she was dangerous. 

The day she fell off, they had come to my house for a lesson, which had gone very well.  We worked the mare for about an hour, and finished on a good note.  I told the girl 'good job' and told her to walk the mare out on a loose rein.  I was standing near the gate, talking to the mom, and the girl was on the opposite end of the arena, walking calmly, when the mare took off bucking, for no apparent reason.  Being relaxed and not expecting something like that, the girl was thrown.  I went to the girl, and the mom caught the horse (there were other riders in the arena, so the loose horse was a danger to them) and then she walked over to us.  We were both calm and matter of fact.  The girl was only temporarily upset - I think we were all shocked that the mare had chosen to do what she did - but it was apparent that she would need an x-ray for her arm.  I had to hand it to her mom - 100% in control, she did not blame the girl or the horse, she spoke to her daughter calmly and very matter-of-factly.  We gathered her up, got her to the car, and I took the horse.  It ended up that she had fractured her wrist, an injury that is pretty common from horseback riding falls. 

After much soul searching, it was decided that the little mare wasn't going to be suitable for the girl, and despite their attachment to her, they decided to sell her.  After finding her a good home, they purchased a POA that, while not always perfectly behaved, was much more willing to work than the Paint mare.  When I asked the girl later how she felt about what happened, she told me that she wasn't afraid of riding, but rather, that she realized that falling off wasn't the worst thing in the world.  Yeah, it hurt at the time, but she healed up and was riding again before her cast was off.  Fear of falling wasn't going to stop her from riding.  And she still hasn't stopped.  Since then, I have moved and her family has moved, but we have kept in touch.  It has been fantastic to watch this beautiful young woman continue to ride and challenge herself.  She now competes in dressage and eventing, but also excels in life, in no small part because she isn't afraid to take risks, and because her parents lovingly allow her to take them.

Not matter what you do, life will throw you curve balls.  It is how you handle them that makes all the difference.  You will find that your child will flourish when you model for them how to handle adversity: by staying calm and cool, and by shrugging off the fear that cripples us.  Only when we face great risk do we reap great rewards.

Buck and My Bucket List

Last night I saw the movie “Buck” at a local art theater, and was completely blown away. “Buck” is a documentary detailing the life and continuing work of Buck Brannaman, a highly esteemed clinician and horseman. Though I have never attended one of his clinics, I was somewhat familiar with his methods, so I had a few ideas about what to expect from the movie; however, I was happily surprised to discover so much more about him than how he uses a rope halter or how he conducts his clinics. I came away inspired, motivated, and with something new to add to my personal bucket list.

Buck and his brother lived the early parts of his childhood being abused by his father, which became nearly unbearable after their mother died. Their father was an alcoholic and a mean, punitive man, to the point that both boys lived in terror every day, until a gym teacher discovered whip marks on Buck's back, and intervened to have both boys placed in foster care. The family that took them in had rescued many boys through fostering them, and it was there that Buck finally found love and began to heal. They lived on a ranch, and Buck learned to ride a horse, and in turn, set on the path that would be his life's calling. Eventually, he discovered the renowned horseman Ray Hunt, and found a way to work with horses that wasn't forceful or coercive. Buck thrived in this knowledge, and saw himself in the horses, who needed understanding and a chance to do the right thing, rather than being treated as something that needed to be controlled at all costs. It has been his life's mission to help other people reach their horses through good solid horsemanship based on “feel,” and give them the tools to make their horses', and their own, lives better.

I have been giving lessons and training horses since I was a teenager, and I have said, often lamenting, that 90% of what I do is to be a psychologist for the the rider. In order to fix a horse's problem, you first have to fix, or at least face, your own. Horses operate on honesty; they can instantly assess where you are coming from, and what your personal modus operandi is. They know who you are in your heart, and behave accordingly. Watching “Buck” last night, I was struck yet again by how true this is. At one point, a woman brings a horse to a clinic that is truly vicious – I have lived my whole life only seeing one or two horses that were actually so dangerous as to warrant that they be put down, and this horse was definitely that exactly. While the story is tragic and unsettling, what is so great is that Buck is able to tell this woman how it is, and just nails the description of where she has gone wrong. I know that he was doing her a favor in telling her the truth, and most likely saved her life, or someone else's – and certainly, putting this horse down did the horse a favor too. It was impossible to work on the horse's feet, give him vet care, and had anyone tried to make this horse obey, no doubt the horse would have eventually been the loser in the fight.

After the movie, I was left with a renewed sense of purpose in my own life. I have also faced my share of painful adversity in my life, and clung to horses as a way to make sense in this chaotic world. I also have a natural ability to communicate to riders what the horse needs from them, and I also want horses to be treated with more respect and kindness from their human counterparts. While there is no doubt that Buck Brannaman is exceptional at what he does, I think that he would agree that we all can be exceptional in our own way, and through horses, we can heal ourselves and others. So, I have added a new entry to my bucket list: someday I want to ride in one of Buck's clinics, and hopefully, gain more insight into what makes him great. Until then, I will continue work toward elevating my game every time I step into the barn.

Happy trails, and take care!

Preventing Tragedy

Yesterday, I read a story that is truly every horseman's worst nightmare; a barn fire destroyed a show barn in Magnolia, Texas, killing 13 horses, and leaving one unaccounted for.  14 other horses were evacuated safely, however, the barn was not insured and was considered a total loss.  My heart goes out to the Goslin/Nix family; I have met Fred Goslin, and Gwen Nix, and know that they are good, responsible horse people who surely felt that their facility was a safe one, and took great care of the training horses entrusted to them.  I hope that they are able to recover from this setback, and return to their normal work activities soon.  I am also saying a prayer for all the horsey souls lost in that fire, as well as their human owners, who I am sure are heartbroken.

I subscribe to several equine industry news outlets, so this same story seems to cross my radar several times a year, and it never fails to give me a sick feeling in my stomach.  Barn fires cause millions of dollars in damages and loss every year, and almost always, they are preventable.  In honor of the horses that were lost in the Goslin/Nix fire, I'd like to review some fire safety strategies that we can implement to help keep this from happening in our own barns.

1.)  Clean that barn - REALLY clean it!  The air in the barn is full of micro-bits of sawdust, hair and debris that are extremely flammable.  Get out a broom and sweep the walls, corners, wiring, everything.  Used canned air to clean out outlets.  Take down your fans (or climb up to them) and clean them thoroughly with small brushes, rags, etc. taking care to inspect their wiring.  Horses and rodents can chew on cords, making them a fire hazard.  Replace a fan that is damaged - don't just tape it up.  The cost of a new fan is nothing compared to the loss of your barn and animals.

2.)  Have your wiring inspected by an electrician.  A professional can see things that you may not be able to, and can make recommendations that could save lives and money.  As much as it is possible, encase all wiring in conduit, and install protective lighting cases over bulbs.

3.)  Hay during the summer months can get very hot, and may combust.  Stack hay to maximize air flow, leaving channels in between bales.  Make sure you smell your stacks frequently; often you can smell a charred scent if a batch of bales is at risk for combustion.  It is also a good idea to store your hay and sawdust separately from where your horse's stalls are; if that isn't possible, make sure that the hay and sawdust is kept in the coolest area in your barn and is well-ventilated.  Also, keep loose hay or sawdust swept/raked up, so that it doesn't accumulate in areas where it could catch fire.

4.)  Make sure you have several large, fully charged fire extinguishers in several locations in your barn.  Also make sure that all your barn help know how to use them.

5.)  This may be obvious, but enforce a 'No Smoking' rule on your property.  Post signs and make sure that there are no exceptions to this rule.  Often, people who want to smoke won't smoke in the barn per se, but will stand just outside of it, and will flick their butt on the ground.  Other flammable activities include your shoer who uses a hot forge, or someone who does welding work.  Keep a close eye on those sparks!

6.)  Installing a sprinkler system is a big expense for most horse owners, but the payoff for this investment is the peace of mind that your horses might be saved from fire if you are not there to evacuate them, or if it is the middle of the night and you are unaware of a fire in your barn.  New construction should always have them, but older barns can be retrofit with them.

7.)  There are two small appliances that are commonly used in barns that increase the risk of fire substantially.  One is fans, and the other is heaters.  This summer has been incredibly hot, and to help there stall bound horses cope, many people are running fans 24/7.  Most box fans are not terribly well-made; make sure to turn them off occasionally to give the motor a rest, inspect them carefully and consider using larger fans in the aisles, rather than small fans in each stall (more small fans means more cords, which means more risk.).  If possible, consider turning your horses out rather than keeping them stalled; usually there is more breeze outside than in, and if there is shade available, the horses will be more content and comfortable outside. 

As far as heaters go, I am very much against their use in horse barns.  They are not for the horses, who are blessed with a natural way to stay warm - their coats.  Heaters are for people, but really are an accident waiting to happen.  If you are busy moving around in a barn, you won't be very cold, but if you are, warm up inside the house, lounge, your car or with some hot chocolate or hot pack, not in front of a space heater.  It just isn't worth the risk.  If you absolutely cannot live without your space heater, post large signs around the barn area, reminding you to turn off or check the heater, and always place the heater on a flat, stable, non-combustable surface, away from anything that might get hot and catch fire.

I hope these suggestions inspire you to go out today and declare a fire safety day.  By being vigilant, we may be able to prevent a tragedy from occurring in your barn, and that would be the very best way to remember the fourteen horses lost yesterday.  Take care, and be safe.